Sedona Arts Center update for May 31 — New Workshops Added! Summer Sale! 10% off all these new workshops when you pay in full!

Coupon applies to new registrations that elect to pay in full at the time of registration. To take advantage of this sale use coupon code: SUMMERSALE! during the online registration process or call the Sedona Arts Center at 928.282.3809.
(coupon expires on June 14 at midnight)

Each morning Tiffani will lead us in a one-hour meditation that combines movement, stillness, and awareness. Relaxing deeply and resting in a spacious presence that is naturally joyful, we become more available to being “present, available, playful and not-knowing”, our methodless-method of Zen creativity. Throughout the workshop she will guide us through exercises or dance to evolve our art of being embodied.

Then Alok will serve everyone very good tea from his home province in China. The subtle delight and alertness of drinking tea together softly strengthens our collective energy field that holds us aware and safe and prepares us for the adventure of painting by “resting in presence and moving from emptiness.”

The Joy of Observation!

Each group and each student is unique! My goal is to offer a roadmap that will continue to guide your creative journey long after the workshop is over. To bring more clarity to your work. To learn to paint with intent. To continue the journey from ‘painting’ to becoming a ‘painter’. And most importantly – how to develop the mindset of ‘practice’ that leads to successful ‘performance’.

Day one: I will be doing a demo start to finish, explaining my thought process for each step, aiding you in developing a personal methodology. During the demo we’ll touch on a variety of subjects – drawing, design, value, color, harmonizing your painting, materials and brush and paint handling. We will discuss how to approach your creative process – concept, scene selection and preparation. You will learn the steps that prepare the groundwork for a successful painting.

Day two: Permission to slow down and find the joy! You will have time to work through each of the preparatory steps for creating a painting ‘en plein air’. I’ll be teaching a method not a style. Whether you’re new to plein air or an experienced professional having a structure that allows you to check your progress at each stage before moving on to the next will bring more consistency to your efforts. You’ll avoid a problem, unresolved from an early stage in the process, spoil what otherwise may have been an inspired painting. Start strong! End Strong!

Day three: The day will be devoted entirely to using the preparatory work from days one and two to bring your paintings to completion. Each student will receive individual instruction. The day will be devoted to putting into practice the concepts we’ve covered and allow you to focus on that on the thing that is going to put wind under your wings!

Note: This workshop takes place during the 15th Annual Sedona Plein Air Festival and culminates in a demonstration session on Friday morning when Dave will demonstrate his process for developing a studio painting from plein air studies and photos. Friday Evening is the Awards night for the Festival, an exciting evening celebrating the work done over the past 7 days by 25 of the top plein air painters in the country. Dave is the Judge and Keynote speaker for the Festival this year and will present a digital talk and presentation on Wednesday evening. See more about the Sedona Plein Air Festival HERE.

The traditional technique of metalpoint (also known as silverpoint; i.e. drawing with a piece of silver) is increasingly popular. This workshop offers students the opportunity to draw with a variety of metal tips including silver, brass, and copper. Koo Schadler will demonstrate and explain all aspects of the medium: types of surfaces to work on, adding highlights and color to a drawing, and how to speed up the oxidation process. Students will make for themselves several different drawing surfaces starting from scratch. Each students goes home with Koo’s metalpoint instruction booklet and a complete metalpoint kit to continue working in the medium. Open to all levels, from beginning to experienced draftsmen.

You can expect to:

• Scribble
• Paint a lot, paint fast
• Create layers
• Use a pen
• Use text
• Use your non dominant hand
• Blind contour draw
• Doodle
• Draw from life & photographs
• Experiment with color
• Be blindfolded
• Allow yourself to:
• Loosen up
• Let go
• Get out of your comfort zone
• Make a mess

And finally, have fun!

The workshop includes:

• Large Screen Demos:  A video camera on Jesse’s drawing board is projected to a large screen so students can easily follow along as they draw.
• One-on-One Instruction: After each demo, Jesse visits each participant, offering encouragement, answering questions, explaining technique and giving individual tips to each student.
• In addition to group and one-on-one instruction, Jesse provides high-quality instructional materials, including a reference photo, a glossy tutorial booklet, and the image already outlined on drawing paper. Workbooks also have a complete list of colors for each section.
• Students are required to bring their own drawing supplies, and a materials list will be distributed well in advance of the workshop.

Take your art to the next level as everyone shares their love of colored pencil in a friendly, relaxed atmosphere.

Pastel is a great sketching medium—its consistency of color and quick handling are valuable when working outdoors. The importance of simplifying the landscape and composing on location will be discussed and applied. Theme emphasis, values, colors, edges, emotional involvement, atmospheric and linear perspective will be discussed. All three days will be spent in the field where we can observe and study the outdoors first hand. This is the single most important method for improving landscape painting skills.

Demonstrations will be done for the group and critiques will be conducted on an individual basis. Plenty of personal attention is the goal of the instructor.